On board RRS Sir David Attenborough as it prepares for Antarctic trip

On the Antarctic research ship Sir David Attenborough, engineers are gathered round a 4-metre sq. opening within the hull, often known as the moon pool. A white robotic floats within the water, its headlights illuminating the perimeters of the pool.

“Now push it ahead and drop it to the underside,” says Jamie Neilson, an engineering supervisor at Seatronics, the maker of this remotely operated automobile (ROV).

With a press of a joystick, the thrusters whirr into …